New York City has an abortion rate almost double of the national average of 23%–and even higher in some demographics. In the city, more African-American babies are killed than are born. A recent report shows the city’s abortion rate at 40%, down from 41% in 2009, with some stunning numbers in the Bronx at 48% and a horrifyingly shocking number of 60% among African-Americans, which was unchanged from2009. The website NYC41PERCENT.com reports “For every 1,000 African-American babies born, 1,448 were aborted.” That means being black in New York is basically being an endangered species

Did you catch that? 60% of all African-American babies are killed before they can take a breath and the city is concerned about my choice to drink soda. It’s so ridiculous, illogical, and inane that one might think it’s a bad movie plot. However, it’s real and on Monday Business Insider reported that theater owners in the city have decided to sue to overturn the ban.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is behind this soda ban because he claims to be concerned about people’s health being in danger from obesity:

“Obesity is going to kill more people in the world his year than starvation,” Bloomberg said.

Board member Susan Klitzman said the obesity problem in New York is patently obvious. “To not act would really be criminal.”

Deepthiman Gowda, a board member, called the initiative a “small” but “bold” and “exciting” step forward.

“The reality is we are in a crisis,” he said. “We need to act on this.”

So I have a message for the New York City Board of Health: the real health crisis you have isn’t in someone’s Coke; it’s in the destruction of your young.

It’s wholly baffling to me that a city could be more concerned about someone buying a large Coke at a fast food restaurant—an actual choice—and the fact that its abortion rate is double—and for African–Americans closer to triple, the national average. The priority focus of New York City proves the priority of its leadership. Mayor Bloomberg has been vocal about his support of abortion and a woman’s “choice” on that matter, all the while stealing a choice to purchase sugary drink. If you recall, earlier this year he pledged $25,000 to Planned Parenthood when Komen reversed its funding for those three days. In a statement at that time, he said, “Politics have no place in health care.”

What he obviously meant was that politics had no place in health care unless he felt they should—and then he could define it. That a man would be more concerned about a Coke than a baby is grievous. The thing the New York City Board of Health needs to focus on right now is changing its skyrocketing abortion rate. Then we can discuss a soda from a food vendor.

Abortion is killing 40% of the potential citizens of the city who will never grow up to decide whether they want a large Coke. That’s the real crisis.